Page 19 of The Dragon Wakes with Thunder (The Dragon Spirit Duology #2)

I shrugged mockingly. “I am but a humble vassal,” I said, and Lei smirked, before suddenly seizing my shoulder and shoving me down.

“What—”

He crushed his hand over my mouth and I nearly bit him before catching sight of a second guard scanning the rooftops.

We pressed ourselves flat against the roof gable, breathing hard under the cover of night. I had forgotten the distinctive scent of him, like cedar and jasmine. Was he seriously wearing fragrance even tonight—on a reconnaissance mission?

“Have you ever considered that your perfume might give you away?” I muttered, keenly aware of how close he was to me.

“It would be a worthy defeat,” he said in my ear, and his low voice made my skin tingle. “If I’m to go, at least I’ll do so in style.”

I huffed against my mask. “Your vanity knows no bounds.”

“One of my many flaws,” he murmured. I could feel the heat of his gaze upon me.

I fixed my attention on the courtyard below, where the patrol guard had just turned his back on us. “Now,” I ordered, and we rose in unison, dropping to the lowest eave directly above the atrium.

From this vantage point, I recognized Prince Yuchen’s manservant, waiting with his horse by the back gate.

“He’s already here,” I said, cursing. “We’ll need to find a way inside.”

“It’s too risky.”

“I need to hear what—”

“I know,” said Lei. “I have a better way.”

Bewildered yet intrigued, I followed as he leapt up to the inner roof overlooking the rock garden, then removed a blunt tool from his robes. Chiseling out a clay tile, he created a small fissure in the roof, then inserted a thin metal rod inside the gap.

“Come here,” he said, and I bent toward the rod. Voices issued from within.

In amazement, I stared at Lei, who grinned back at me.

It struck me then that this was one of the first times I’d seen him truly sober.

I preferred him like this: still playful and mischievous, but sharper, clear-eyed, less volatile and prone to fits of violence.

Sober, he was someone I could imagine choosing to spend time with.

But it did not matter how I preferred him. As soon as winter passed, he would depart for the treaty negotiations, and then to Ximing. And I would never see him again.

I bent my ear to the listening rod.

“Your Highness, the arrangements have already been made. But the payments you promised are long overdue—”

“I told you—the gold mine is under investigation,” Prince Yuchen snapped. “How do you think it will look if I keep funneling the funds to you?”

“Then find another way to acquire the gold,” Lord Xu said calmly. “But I cannot supply the additional troops without it. If you want me to double the numbers, I will require double the compensation.”

“I’ll repay you tenfold once I’m on the throne,” Yuchen hissed.

“Your Highness,” said Lord Xu slowly. “I appreciate your generosity. But as I’ve made clear, I need the funds first before I can provide the forces you require. I’m more than happy to wait until you can locate a new source—”

“Well, I can’t wait!” Yuchen interrupted.

“My father’s health is failing. I suspect that damned Yifeng is poisoning him, so that he’ll name his successor any day now.

” His voice grew bitter. “He’s never respected me, never taken me seriously as his son…

No, he won’t name me his heir, and if I stage a coup after he’s announced his successor, the people won’t stand by me. ”

Princess Yifeng was poisoning the Imperial Commander? I knew she was cunning, but I never imagined she’d go so far as to off her own father-in-law.

“That’s a serious accusation,” Lord Xu said. “But if you can prove it, that would provide grounds for removing the crown prince, no?”

“Damn it, don’t you think I’ve tried? The bitch has covered her tracks more carefully than a snake in the grass.”

Though I despised the princess, I couldn’t help but smile. Like an artist appreciating a rival’s work, I had to respect a job well done—even if it made my own life significantly harder.

“As I’ve said before, my loyalty lies with the winning side,” said Lord Xu. “I placed my faith in you initially, but it is now your responsibility to demonstrate that that trust was well-placed.”

There was a long silence, before I heard the sound of a heavy stone being set against wood. “Let this serve as a promise of future payment,” said Yuchen. “You may use my chop as your own.” His voice grew distant. “It is only a matter of time before I am on the throne.”

Their voices grew inaudible as they left the room, before I heard them once more in the courtyard, exchanging pleasantries in parting.

Prince Yuchen had left his name chop on Lord Xu’s desk.

Nothing was as personal as a name chop, which was used as a signature to validate your approval. If I could steal Yuchen’s chop from Lord Xu’s desk, perhaps I could use it as proof to demonstrate their secret alliance.

“It won’t be enough,” Lei warned, as I prepared to take flight. His hand closed around my wrist. “Remember, you’re fighting from lower ground—you’re at a disadvantage.”

I struggled to break from his grip, but in the time he stalled me, Lord Xu had already returned to his desk.

“What is your problem?” I hissed, when he’d finally released me.

“You steal his name chop now, and he cannot use it to incriminate himself. Give them time. Let Lord Xu mark every damning document with Yuchen’s seal. Let them believe no one is watching. Only then, when the evidence paints a compelling picture on its own, do you strike.”

As the patrol changed, Lei rose from his crouch, and I followed, trailing him until we’d left the immediate vicinity of Lord Xu’s home.

On the streets of Chuang Ning, I tossed my mask and black robes into the bushes, revealing plain linen robes beneath.

With the Spring Festival fast approaching to mark the new year, most Chuang Ning migrants had left the capital to return home and celebrate with their families, leaving only the locals behind.

As a result, the usually bustling streets were empty, even as night above bled slowly into the first light of day.

Although I knew I should hurry back before Sky noticed my absence, I couldn’t resist the allure of the vacant city streets.

Not knowing when I might return, I took advantage of the open space and paced back and forth, savoring these unguarded moments where I didn’t have to appear ladylike and proper, my every move scrutinized.

“The gaps in my memory are getting worse,” I confessed without thinking.

I was too afraid to tell Sky, but Lei, who’d seen me after my seizure, already knew the worst of it.

I pulled up my sleeve, staring at the dark, purple-black veins snaking along my arm before dropping it in disgust. “I’m afraid I’m losing my mind. ”

Lei watched me with lidded eyes as he leaned against a boarded-up gate. The gate, once leading to an apothecary, was now defaced with graffiti scrawled in charcoal: “BLACK MAGIC LIVES HERE.”

“Why don’t you see a lixia specialist?” asked Lei.

“You sound like Sky,” I said irritably, before sighing. “I agreed to see a physician before the Spring Festival.”

“That’s nearly a month from now.”

I ignored him. I did not like to think of myself as superstitious, and yet I somehow believed that if I avoided a physician’s diagnosis, my body could heal miraculously on its own. Every morning I trained with Lily, and every night I meditated, strengthening and building my qi.

These days, I looked healthier, even if I did not feel healthier.

My body had regained its muscle and my skin its supple elasticity.

My hair was shinier and thicker, and my nails less brittle and prone to breakage.

Yet inside, I couldn’t shake the tightening dread rising like bile in my throat.

The ominous fear that I was losing parts of myself, and that I had fallen so far, I no longer knew what those parts even were.

Regardless, I should not be sharing this with Lei, who would only exploit my fears against me. I returned to my pacing. On the bright side, I had a way to take down Prince Yuchen now. But I still didn’t know what to do about the crown prince.

“Prince Keyan is too clean,” I muttered, thinking aloud.

“I have no leverage against him.” I felt as though I were juggling a hundred balls at once, growing cross-eyed as I tried to keep them all in the air.

Ironically, though I’d hated the war, now I missed the decisiveness of it, the way battles were fought with clear lines drawn.

“Perhaps if I can catch Princess Yifeng poisoning the Imperial Commander…”

“Already tried that,” said Lei with a yawn. “She’s good. Covered all her tracks, just like your dear brother said.”

“Prince Yuchen is not my brother,” I snapped.

“Not yet,” he said, and something in his gaze made me falter.

“Lei.” My steps slowed as I stopped in front of him. The night air was cool, and without our earlier exertion, my sweat had dried, leaving a chill on my skin. “What are you planning?”

He smirked at me, revealing nothing. “Shall we go?”